Porsche Unleashes Cayman GT4

06 Feb 2015

It’s been opined that the Porsche Cayman could never reach its performance potential – for fear that it might steal favour away from the 911. Well, the smaller sibling has decided to step out of the periphery: this is the new Cayman GT4 and its parents claim that it shares a genetic spirit with the 911 GT3.

Of course, there’s a standard test almost every German performance car must achieve these days: a quick Nürburgring Nordschleife stint. And the fast little Porsche managed to set a lap time of 7 minutes and 40 seconds. Its mid-mounted 3,8-litre flat-six engine produces 283kW and the model is only available with a six-speed manual transmission. There’s no PDK offering here. It’ll hit 100km/h from standstill in 4,4 seconds.

Compared to a standard Cayman, it sits 30mm lower and the chassis has been honed with a number of components lifted from the 911 GT3. It’s clearly angrier than its lesser counterparts, with big inlet openings in the nose and a big wing at the rear. This is Porsche we’re talking about, so function is more important than form. But the accoutrements do look good in addition to serving an aerodynamic purpose.

If you’ve got track days in mind, you’ll be able to specify ceramic brakes and seats with carbon fibre shells. These are in addition to a Track Precision app. The GT4 is expected in SA in the middle of 2015. It’ll carry a price tag of R1,136,000.